Protected metal water confining means



1950 N. SMITH 2,518,827

PROTECTED METAL WATER CONFINING MEANS Filed Feb. 25, 1945 HG. 2. Fl 0. 5

INVENTOR Norman Sm/f/L ATTORNEY Patentecl Aug. 15,

UNITED STATES P-AT E NT O ICE PROTECTED METAL WATERVC'ONFIVNING MEANNorman Smith, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Dryco Corporation, Syracuse,N. Y., a corporation Application February 23, 1 945, Serial No. 579,338

is normally confined without room for expansion in the event of freezingof the" water, the general purpose of the'invention being to provide'such metal water confining means with improve'd'safety means to preventbursting thereof by internal pressure generated as a consequence ofwater freezing therein." In metal water confining means of the classdescribed, as

water confined thereinxfreezes, an": excessive in- .ternal pressure isgenerated whichis frequently .suflicient} toburst the water confiningmeans vIIIlIGSSQ IIEaIIS-MB provided for relieving" such pre en-r i Aspecific purpose of the inventionis to pro- Videa, metal water confiningmeans of the" class set forth having an improved form of vent port.sealed;rby an improved form of metal blowout plug-Which; will notaccidentally .blow outunder water pressures of working range but whichwill .blowjout of the port under higher pressure gen- ,eratedas anincident to water freezing in -the water-confining means.

Further specific purposes forth :wherein the safety port andplug are so'constructed that. the plug will be instantly: and

fully creleased from and blown out of the port as soonas an unsafepressure is generated-with- ;in the article; and to provide a safetysealed articleof the. class described in which the-seal isnon-corrosive, can be readily andaquickly replaced-.or renewed afterbeing blown'z out,and is tionally-engagedsurfaces of the'portand seal.

1 Claims. ('01. 138-27) of the invention are .toprovide animprovedarticle 'of the class' set Other purposes and advantages ofthe'inven- Figure 1 is a. perspective View of a metal gate inaipreferred-form; 35 e if 2..

' Figure 2"-is a detail view showingia portion of the body of the-valveof Figure :l and thejsafety valve for water lines embodying the.invention 'The area of frictional engagement between the valve body andplug is considerably less, however, than the areas of theconoidal portwall and'of sea-ling. plug "therefor prior --to insertion ofithe I" pus; 7

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken horizontally approximately on. theline 33 of Figure l, with the safety plug in place; and

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are views similar to Figures .1, 2 and 3,respectively, and shovving a modified form of the invention applied to ametal water pipe element in the form of a T-fitting as illustratedinFigure 4, Figure 6 being a sectional view taken horizontallyapproximately on the line 65 of Figure 4/ In the construction shown inFigures l to 3, there is shown a known gate valve is for a water conduitor line, said valve having a metal body H, which body is provided with asafety means embodying the invention. The body of the valve may be abronze casting, or it may be a die casting made from die casting alloysof the conventional zinc or aluminum base type. The valve body isprovided with two frusto-conical vent ports I2 in the wall thereofconnecting the water flow passage of said body at opposite sides of thegate with the exterior of the valve. The smaller end of each conoidalport is at the inner end of the port, and the port flares outward at asmall angle of taper. In the drawing, the degreefof taper has beenexaggerated for clarity of illustration of the port and its sealingmeans. In practice, a very small angle of taper between zero and sixdegrees is employed, preferably an angle of about one-half of onedegree.

The seal for port l2 shown consists of a cylindrical metal plug [3;formed of a metal or metal alloy which is non-corrosive and preferablyis length of the, plug and its preferred diameter, as; shown, being suchthat the inner end portion of the plug will beslightly compressivelydeformed and wedged in the port short of the inner end of the port whenthe plug is driven into the port until its outer'end is flush with theexterior of the valve body. A soft brass plug is preferable. I 4

When so driven into the port, as shown in Figure 3, the plug seals theport and is frictionallyheld "against ejection from the port.

the peripheral surface of the plug, and this fact, and the outward flareof the port, insures instantaneous full release and prompt ejection ofthe plug upon freezing of water in the valve body, although the frictiongrip is strong enough to hold the plug in place under the usual waterpressures. While a plug having a length equal to, or greater than, thatof the vent port may be employed, the use of the plug shown and abovedescribed is preferred, since the plug does not protrude beyond eitherface of the ported wall and terminates short of the inner face of saidwall. By having the plug terminate short of the inner face of the wall,liability of breakdown of metal from electrolytic action at the jointbetween the wall and plug at the interior of the wall along which waterflows reduced. j In the construction shown in Figures 4, 5 and6, anotherembodiment of the. inyention is ;shqwn. In this construction, there isillustrated a known cast or wrought iron water pipe, element M in theform of a T-fitting, provided "with"safety means embodying theinvention. The wall of this fitting is provided with a frusto-conicalvent port l5 which taperedfrom the exterior, to the interior or the pipe'el nt, the angle errata preferably beingvery mal asin theta-Se 'of theport [2, although. this, angle hisbfi exaggerat'ed inthe drawing,iribrderfto sh'ow clearly. that port l5 andits s a'iin-gpu g i5iareta'per and frusto conical. I, The plug ifishown'is formed of'leadand is noncorrosive and softer than the castiro pipe element. This leadplug completely fills" anqseais the port-l5 and is frictionallyheldth'erein. Due to the shape of fthe p-lug and port, the plugfwillinstantly fully'release and'blow outof the, port upon'f, excessive riseoffpr'essure resulting from freezing of water in the pipe element, S

' The plug I6 is, as slfiown inFigure,5, formed of shredded lead a. "Tosealsporti liwith the shredded leadfthe inner end of theport 'is'firstclosed, by suitable blocking orbackingf element and the shreddedlead isthe'r'i amped into the port from theexte rior of the ,pipe eleinerit theport is filled with solid and coherent lead While plugs of other metalsor alloys than those described may be employed, lead and brass plugs areespecially" advantageous in artlcle's of tl'i'eclassdescribed'fsince'they will not rust orcorrode and also are inhrentlysoniewhat selfflubricativel Such plugs will, therefore, alwayslblg w outbefore freezing condition of water confined y "the article' generates}sufficient pressure to burstthe article I I w i Owing to the ta' r bitheport maze ihetsu body, the plug is fully relieved of the frictionalhe d-m i b a e y min t O d ev m n of, the plug and thereby instantlyfreed for full ejection fro n' theport, a result which would not beattained, if the port and plug were cylindrical." Owing to the rustproof and non-corrpsive n u re o'f the plug, fifeezing ofthe: plug duech rusting or corrosionwhi'ch would require unpredictableextra eflort toeject the plug, which effort.' would probably exceed that required tsburstthe co tainer, is also avoided."

It will be evident thatthe normal water pressure ,within the protectedarticle ex erts on the inner end of the plug a force tendingto eject theplug from the port, which force is directly proportional to the waterpressure and to thearea of the inner end of the port. As statedabovepthe plug is retained in theport against thatforce by thefrictional resistance between the plug and the port walls. In order thatthis may be accomplished, the diameter of the plug and port should bequite small. This has the further advantage of creating only a smallleak should the plug be ejected by an abnormal rise in the internalpressure due to freezing or otherwise. I have found that for normalworking pressures up to pounds per square inch, a plug diameter at theinner end of A; inch is entirely satisfactory.

I Although I have thus described my invention in considerable detail inthe best form of which I am aware, in accordance with the patentstatutes, it will be evident that various changes and modificationsmaybe made by those skilled in the art without departing "from thespirit of m invention. Accordingly, I desire to be limited only by theprior artand' the scope of the appended claims.

r ,I claim:

1; The combination with a water confining apparatiishaving a body madeof metal of the class in which water is normally confined without roomfor expansion in the event of freezing of thewater, of protecting meansfor preventing bursting of said apparatusby internal pressure generatedas a consequence of water freezing therein, comprising a frusto-conicalsafety vent port extendingfrom the exterior to the interior of said body; said port being arranged with its smaller end innermost iandjhavingasmall angle of taper, and a bl owout plug of non-corrosive metal whichseals and is, frictionally held'in said port, V

2. A protected water confining apparatus 'as claimed in claim 1,-inwhich the plug is a cylindrical plug driveninto said port.

, 3. A protected water confining apparatus as claimed in claim 1, inwhich the plug isa cylindrical plug of a diameter intermediate the'majorand minor diameters of the frusto-conical port and has its innerendportion 'in driven interfitted frictional'engagement with the wall ofsaid port; the inner'end of the plug being short of the inner end'of theport and the outer end of the plug being coincident the'outer' end ofthe port.

A pr'otec'tdwater confining"apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in whichthe frictionally held plug terminates short of the ihnerend'of said A'-prc'at'ected water confining japparatusas claimed in claim I, in whichthe plug is frustoco'nical and entirely fill s the port, the length ofthe plug corresponding't'o that of the port.

V '6. Thec'ombin'ationwith a water je nfinmg apparatus having abodymade'of die casting metal alloy of the'class 'wl'licli water is normallyconfined without room for expansion in the event 'of freezing ofthewater," of protecting means for preventing bursting bf said apparatusby internal pressure generated as a consequence'of water freezingtherein, comprising a'flusto-conical vent port in said body taperingfrom its largest diameter at the out'er end'of the port toward the innerend of the port at an angle of taper whichis between zero and six'degrees, and a plug sealing and frictionally' held in said'port,saidplugbeing formed of a non-corrosive metalsofter than said y '7.'Aprotected water confining apparatus'as claimed in claim 6, in which theplug is a brass plug of cylindrical form having a driven fit in saidport intermediate the ends of the port.

'8. The combination with a water confining ap paratus having a body madeof iron of the class in which water is normally confined without roomfor expansion in the event of freezing of the water, of protecting meansfor preventing bursting of said apparatus by internal pressure generatedas a consequence of water freezing therein, comprising a frusto-conicalvent port in said body which is tapered from its largest diameter at itsouter end toward its inner end at an angle of taper which is betweenzero and six degrees, and a plug of a softer and non-corrosive metalsealing and frictionally held in said port.

9. A protected water confining apparatus as claimed in claim 8, whereinthe port is closed by a frusto-conical lead plug frictionally held inthe port.

10. A protected water confining apparatus as claimed in claim 8, whereinthe vent port is 6 plugged with shredded lead tamped into a solid massin situ.

NORMAN SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record'in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 589,944 Greengrass Sept. 14, 18971,068,193 Weil July 22, 1913 1,749,774 McKay Mar. 11, 1930 FOREIGNPATENTS 15 Number Country Date 216,036 Great Britain May 22, 1924

